Sun and Moon
by Ryuutsu Seishin Hime no Argh
Summary: After receiving Kafei's letter on the First Day, Anju sits down to write her response and is caught up in memories of her and Kafei's courtship. Will she find the right words for her missing love? Finished!! (Whaaat? The Hime finished a fic?!)
1. Part I

_A note from the Hime-  
  
_This is a short fic (two parts) I wrote almost entirely last night, and one of my favorite pieces of writing so far. I just think it turned out so well, but you be the judge. ^_^ Thanks for reading, and please review! I don't own Zelda.  
  
(Will be posting Part II probably tomorrow or the day after.)  
  
***  
  
**Sun and Moon  
Part I  
  
*****_  
  
My dearest Anju,  
  
I'm sorry. I don't even know where to begin. I admit, I never intended to write you. Only now our wedding is in three days, if the moon doesn't fall before then, of course. I think I owe you an explanation.  
  
I'm not going to tell you where I am. Only that I'm safe, and not kidnapped or perhaps dead as Mother undoubtably thinks. Anju, you have not seen me for two weeks because I've been afraid to show my face. Not because of the curse the imp put on me, but because of the mask. I'm sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start from the beginning.  
  
Maybe you've seen the imp who's been playing tricks on the townsfolk lately? He appeared about a month ago, I remember, a little imp wearing a horrid mask with glowing eyes. I hardly noticed him at first. So consumed was I with love for you that I hardly noticed anything, those weeks ago. What a happy time that was...  
  
The imp. He began to follow me. I kept seeing him, wherever I went. I suppose my patience broke, and I boldly demanded to know why he was following me. He said it was because I was happy. He said I didn't deserve to be happy as much as he did, and he cursed me with his strange power. Twisted time itself, and turned my form into that of the child I once was, all those years ago. I went to see the fairy as resides in North Clock Town, and on the way I was attacked by a prancing thief. As if he could see into my very heart, he took the one possession that means the most to me, save you. The Sun Mask.  
  
Anju, when I became this child, I didn't intend to hide from you. I only wanted to speak to the fairy first, and ask her if perhaps she could change me back. Then all this unpleasantness could simply be forgotten, and you'd never know. But when the Sun Mask was taken from me, I was consumed with grief and shame. How could I face you without the symbol of my love for you, my devotion to you? How could I tell you that I'd lost it? And so, I went into hiding.  
  
My feelings for you have not changed, but nor has my shame left me. You deserve far better than me, Anju. Should the moon fall I will rejoice, for I know the gods will have you among them in heaven. Should Clock Town be spared, I will continue to keep away from you until my mask is retrieved.  
  
I want you to know that I still love you. Always, and forever.  
  
Kafei._  
  
***  
  
Alone in my room in the Stock Pot Inn, seated at the table, I carefully place the letter down and neatly fold it in half. Then my emotions overwhelm me, and I bury my face in my arms and begin to cry. It has been two weeks since I last saw Kafei, my betrothed. The postman would not tell me where this letter came from. Kafei refuses to tell me where he is hiding. It seems my only hope of finding him is a little boy dressed in green clothes, who not an hour ago presented me with Kafei's imitation mask, right after I received his letter. Coincidence? I don't think so, but it is still a bit too much to hope that a boy might find my missing lover.  
  
I asked the boy to meet me later tonight in the kitchen. I simply couldn't help myself- seeing that mask brought back so many memories. I intend to write Kafei a letter and have the green-clothed boy deliver it. But now I sit here, with pen, ink, and paper at hand, and I cannot think of a word to say.  
  
All I can think about is masks. Kafei's mask. The Sun Mask, and the Moon Mask. Clock Town, where I reside, is famous for its masks. Its people teach maskmaking to their children at a very young age. I remember when Kafei and I occupied the same bench in grade school, where we learned the local trade besides our letters and numbers. Oh, we hated each other then, as young girls and young boys often do.   
  
As I sit here, staring at the blank parchment before me, I cannot help but think back to that day when Kafei made his imitation mask, and I made mine. We worked on them for weeks. They were supposed to be perfect duplications of ourselves, but mine and Kafei's turned out_ terribly_. They looked nothing like us. Kafei gave his to his mother, I suppose. I threw mine away.  
  
***  
  
When I was fifteen and Gregi Miser refused to take me to the Harvest Dance, breaking my heart, my grandmother consoled me like this:  
  
"Don't you worry, dear, you're going to marry Kafei Dotour."  
  
"That's crazy, Gramma," I argued. "He's going to be mayor one day. _I'm_ going to be an innkeeper. Besides, he doesn't like me at all."  
  
"Yes he does," my grandmother insisted. "He's going to marry you."  
  
"If you say so, Gramma." I couldn't believe that was so. Of course, by this point Kafei and I weren't two children who squabbled all the time, but we weren't exactly friends, either. I worked as the mayor's bookkeeper when I wasn't helping my grandmother and aunt manage the Stock Pot Inn, so I saw Kafei almost every day, but we barely managed 'good morning's.  
  
When Kafei and I turned sixteen, we made our marriage masks on the night of that year's Carnival of Time, as was the tradition of young people in Clock Town. Men made their masks in the likeness of the sun, while women made theirs in the likeness of the moon. When a man and a woman married, the masks were exchanged as a symbol of their unity.  
  
Something happened that year, after the Carnival of Time. To us and all our yearmates; I suppose I'd call it growing up. As sixteen-year-olds we were now adults, old enough to begin working in our trade, old enough to marry if we chose to do so.   
  
Children become adults and time flows on. A theme of the annual carnival.  
  
***  
  
After the carnival, it was time for me to take up my duty as innkeeper of the Stock Pot, so I regretfully quit my job with the kind mayor and his wife, both of whom wished me well.  
  
"So you're leaving us?" Kafei asked me on my resignation day, as he watched me pack the few possessions I'd kept in the mayor's office.  
  
"Yes. My grandmother and aunt have been waiting for me to take over the family business." I flashed Kafei a smile, feeling particularly generous that day. "Lucky you, you don't have to work until your dad resigns," I teased gently.  
  
Kafei only shrugged, his quiet crimson eyes resting on me. "I'll miss you."  
  
I was genuinely startled. I didn't think Kafei usually noticed my presence in his father's office, but perhaps I was wrong. "You can always come visit me in the inn," I suggested, surprising myself all over again with the offer. "It's not like it's a long walk."  
  
To my bewilderment, Kafei began to do just that. The first few times he made excuses to be there ("Father wanted me to see if any important guests dropped by this week") but after that he simply showed up at random with no explanation at all, usually willing to take me out to lunch if someone else was there to mind the inn. My grandmother always found opportunities to give me meaningful glances whenever Kafei dropped by, but I still refused to believe that she was right. Kafei was seeing other girls, after all, just as I was seeing boys. We were friends, nothing more.  
  
Kafei kept me company on rainy days. In turn, I visited him when his father wanted him to stay at the office and learn something. We went to festivals and bazaars together if we didn't have dates. On summer nights we'd sit on the straw roof of the Milk Bar Latte and watch the stars as we talked and joked. During monsoon season, when one particularly big hurricane hit, Kafei and I went to the Great Bay Cove to watch the ocean rage and get drenched with rain and wind. A dangerous outing, to be sure, but I felt safe in Kafei's company.  
  
When I turned seventeen, Kafei surprised me with a precious china cow figurine, which I kept beside me at my desk in the inn, amused by its silly expression and bobbing head on slow afternoons. When Kafei turned seventeen I gave him a handsome pendant I'd found at the summer market. He put it on a string and wore it around his neck everywhere.  
  
Harvest season came, and the town had its regular festival. Kafei asked me two nights before the dance to accompany him.  
  
"Aren't you seeing Leilani Graysmith?" I asked him.  
  
"It's over."  
  
I went to the dance with him, and under the glow of the moon and the stars Kafei kissed me for the first time. I was scared and thrilled all at once.  
  
We remained friends. I wanted nothing to change, especially when I thought about how strange and frightening and wonderful it was to be held and kissed by him. But then the Carnival of Time rolled around again, and Kafei began to talk about marriage.  
  
***  
  
Continued in Part II. 


	2. Part II

_A note from the Hime-  
  
_Okay, here's the second part. You know, throughout my play of MM, I always thought it was really stupid that a mask should get in the way of two people being together. When I sat down to write this story, I really tried to think of a way to make it meaningful. I hope I've succeeded.  
  
Short fic I know, but I've still got a dedication...it's to Anju and Kafei. ^_^ I love those guys!!! *hugs 'em both*  
  
A/K: o.O;;;;;;;  
  
***  
  
**Sun and Moon**  
**Part II**  
  
On the eve of the carnival, I could barely sit still. The Carnival of Time was my favorite of the many Clock Town traditions; every year the town hosted an enormous festival attended by all the peoples of Termina. A carnivalgoer could see Deku Scrubs, Gorons, Zoras, and even one or two Gerudo, all in the same night! There was food and spirits, dance and song, colorful decorations and dazzling fireworks all in the shade of the great clock tower. The Carnival of Time marked the beginning of a new year and was a cause for great celebration.  
  
It was also the busiest tourist season of the year. Luckily, every single one of the Stock Pot's patrons attended the carnival; we never had to stay behind and mind the inn.   
  
As this year's patrons filtered out one by one, wishing us a happy carnival, my grandmother, aunt and I prepared ourselves for the celebration. I wore my best dress, a dazzling scarlet frock with a frilled skirt and a hemline just low enough to reveal my shoulders. My glossy auburn hair, the length of my waist at seventeen, was braided and pinned by my aunt as my grandmother looked on.  
  
"So you're attending the carnival with Kafei this year, hm?" my grandmother observed.  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Gramma."  
  
"What have I been telling you? You're going to marry that boy, you just wait and see."  
  
My aunt giggled and tugged on my braid to make sure it was firm. "Gramma's always right, Anju. Best to learn that now."  
  
"Yes, yes. Do you mind?" I demanded, jumping to my feet as my aunt pulled my braid again. I didn't want to discuss the possibility of marrying Kafei. I'd never told my aunt or my grandmother about Kafei's kiss at the Harvest Dance, nor did I plan on mentioning that Kafei had kissed me again several times since, including just a few nights ago, when he asked me to the carnival.  
  
Three polite knocks sounded on the door. "Oh my goodness, that's him! Do I look all right?" I twirled in front of my fellow womenfolk.  
  
"Lovely," my grandmother declared.  
  
"Astounding," my aunt added.  
  
"Thanks!" I kissed my relatives on the cheek and joined Kafei.  
  
We walked with the multitudes of townspeople and outsiders alike on the way to South Clock Town, where the carnival was held. Kafei told me I looked beautiful and I responded with a flattering comment of my own- he _did_ look very handsome in a stylish costume of dark blue, emphasizing the blue tones in his hair.  
  
The carnival began with a bang, right on schedule at midnight. The clock tower opened to admit the carnivalgoers amid a dazzling display of fireworks. We climbed to the very top of the tower and danced, ate, and drank with our friends as the bell in East Clock Town tolled away the hours. On top of the tower the stars seemed very close; the moon was huge and yellow and the night was enchanted.   
  
It was almost five o'clock when Kafei and I left, supporting each other as we stumbled down the stairs, both of us more than slightly drunk. We walked through the empty streets -most of the town still partied on top of the clock tower- talking and joking and giggling, like old times. But when we stopped in North Clock Town Kafei turned to me, looking quite sober.  
  
"Anju," he asked me quietly, "have you ever given thought as to who you're going to marry?"  
  
I swallowed nervously; somehow I'd known that he would bring this topic up. "Not really," I mumbled, keeping my eyes fixed on a point behind Kafei. "I guess I just haven't found the right person."  
  
Kafei gripped my chin and forced me to look at him. "I have," he whispered, "and she's standing right in front of me."  
  
"Kafei," I said softly, unable to tear my eyes away from his.  
  
"I've thought about this for a long time, Anju." His crimson eyes were very bright. "Even when I was seeing those other girls, I always knew it would be you. I only waited a while to pursue it because I didn't know how you felt about me."  
  
"I-I do love you," I stammered, then clamped my mouth shut, horrified. What in the world had just made me say that? Of course Kafei wasn't going to take that in a friend context- or had I even meant it that way?  
  
"I love you, too. As more than just a friend," he added softly, as if he'd read my mind. "Much more. Anju, I want- I want to marry you." Kafei then stepped back and presented his Sun Mask.  
  
My eyes widened in shock as I stared at the golden mask in his hands. How could I not have noticed that he had it on his person all this time? "Kafei..."  
  
He dropped to his knees before me, the mask offered. "Undoubtably you remember what these masks represent," he said quietly. "This is a symbol, Anju, a symbol of my unwavering love and eternal devotion to you. We are young, but we are not children- I have never been more serious about anything. Marry me, Anju-" He swallowed, "-and I will spend the rest of my life making you happy."  
  
I stared at him in silence, overwhelmed. The offer, I thought, was not inappropriate. Kafei was my good friend, my best friend. He made me laugh. He was always there when I needed him. And he loved me- that part, I knew, was true. Had always been true.  
  
But did I love him? As I gazed down at him, asking myself that question, I realized I knew the answer.  
  
I touched Kafei's hands, drawing him to his feet, and said, "I can't accept your mask."  
  
I saw for an instant the hurt in his eyes, his crestfallen expression, and then the bewilderment as a smile dawned on my lips.  
  
"Until I give you mine," I added impishly.  
  
Kafei's eyes widened. "You mean...?"  
  
"Did you forget tradition?" I demanded in mock-sternness. "We exchange masks at the time of our marriage, not the engagement!"  
  
"Anju!" Kafei cried joyfully as he lifted me and spun me around in a dizzying circle. Then he set me on my feet once more, his arms still wrapped around me, and smiled down at me beautifully.  
  
I smiled back at him. "I do love you," I told him softly. "As more than just a friend. Much more."  
  
Kafei's reply was to kiss me as the bell in East Clock Town began to toll, echoed by the crow of a rooster. A soft yellow glow in the east suggested the arrival of morning; the Carnival of Time was over. It was the start of a new year.   
  
"Look at that, Anju," Kafei remarked when we parted. "The sun rose just for us." He kissed me again, soundly, and our engagement was sealed.  
  
***  
  
A tear, then two tears, fall softly to the blank parchment on the table before me. I blot my eyes dry and throw the parchment away- Kafei can't know that I've been crying. He believes me to be stronger than I truly am.  
  
This day might only have served to open old wounds and make my pain fresh and new, but now I have an insight into my lover's disappearance. I rise from my chair and walk to the stand beside my bed on which rests my wedding gown and mask. I take the mask of the moon into my hands and gaze at it silently.  
  
What if I lost the my mask? Would Kafei care? Would I? Mine is only a mask, after all. Just a material possession.  
  
Kafei's is different. For on that day, almost a year ago, Kafei presented his mask and thus bound us both to the promise of marriage. The sun rose upon my consent, witness to our union. That joyous morning lent its radiance to the mask, giving it life, and now it is more than a mere symbol. It is the very light of our love.  
  
I place the Moon Mask on the stand once more and walk back to the table, fetching a new parchment. I sit, dip my quill in ink, and set it to the paper with a steady hand. Today the shadow of the moon obscures Kafei's sun, and it is time for me to keep my promise.  
  
***  
  
_Kafei,  
  
I understand. I'm waiting for you.  
  
Love eternal,  
Anju. _


End file.
